Effect of Climate Change on Food and Water Borne Diseases Outbreak: A Mini Review

Climate changes include alternations in one or more climate variables including temperature, precipitation, wind, and sunshine. These changes may impact the survival, reproduction, or distribution of disease pathogens and hosts, as well as the availability and means of their transmission environment. The health effects of such impacts tend to reveal as shifts in the geographic and seasonal patterns of human infectious diseases, and as changes in their outbreak frequency and severity. There are many pathways through which climate related factors may impact food safety including: changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, ocean warming and acidification, and changes in the transport pathways of complex contaminants. Temperature increases and changes in rainfall patterns have an impact on the persistence and patterns of occurrence of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi and the patterns of their corresponding foodborne diseases. Extreme weather events such as floods and droughts lead to contamination of soil, agricultural lands, water and food and animal feed with pathogens, chemicals and other hazardous substances, originating from sewage, agriculture and industrial settings. Emergency situations after natural disasters are of special concern for water and food sanitation. Ocean warming and climate change related acidification and changes in ocean salinity and precipitation also affect the biochemical properties of water, along with water microflora. Keywords: Climate change, Disease, Food borne, Outbreak, Water borne DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/88-02 Publication date:July 31st 201